While Others Left, Omar Khan Hung With Huskies

UW Roster Review: The defensive tackle from Texas chose to stay and battle for game time.

Omar Khan works his way through a padded drill. | Dave Sizer photo

Out the door they went, nearly every defensive tackle on the University of Washington football roster following the 2025 season, pulled in all sorts of different directions.

No hard feelings, but for whatever reason they all had to go.

Entering the transfer portal and needing a change of scenery were brothers Jayvon and Armon Parker (Maryland), Bryce Butler (Texas Tech), Caleb Smith (Alabama) and Dominic Macon (Oklahoma State).

Logan Sagapolu, Simote Pepa and Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei each used up their eligibility and moved on.

Anterio Thompson passed up a possible final UW season and was pleasantly surprised to go in the sixth round of the NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.

All that remained were the well-utilized Elinneus Davis and the largely untested Omar Khan.

Davis' return was no surprise because he started 10 games as a sophomore.

Khan?

He's a different story because the 6-foot-3, 312-pound sophomore is a long way from Texas and his home in the Houston suburbs and he's played only against UC Davis last season in 26 games held over his time in Montlake.

Yet he came out of the most recent spring ball with high marks.

"I think Omar Khan has stepped up," UW coach Jedd Fisch said.

Omar Khan is a Husky defensive tackle from Texas. | Dave Sizer photo

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the UW roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did in spring practice and what to expect from them going into fall camp.

Signed by Kalen DeBoer's staff, Khan has hung with Fisch's crew for three years now while painstakingly going through the process of building strength and learning technique.

"This [was] a real big spring for him," Husky defensive-line coach Jason Kaufusi said when spring ball began. "His development is on and coming along."

Omar Khan is good-sized defensive tackle from Texas. | Dave Sizer photo

For sure, Khan presents a different sort of athlete to the Huskies, coming to them as an accomplished heavyweight wrestler while continuing to build bulk.

To watch him stretch out before practice is a show in itself, with this big-bodied defender bowing his back and bending like a pretzel to get loose. He was one of the few UW players, if not the only one, to warm up with a medicine ball.

During spring ball, Khan mostly ran with the No. 2 defense, often as part of a five-man front.

He had his moments, twice dropping freshman running back Brian Bonner Jr. for two-yard losses and meeting redshirt freshman Ryken Moon in the hole and bending him over backward.

Khan also got in starting quarterback Demond Williams Jr.'s face and made him throw away a pass.

Unlike those aforementioned former Husky defensive linemen, he's in it for the long run.

Omar Khan soaks up the Sun Bowl experience. | UW

What he's done: Khan has made just one Husky game appearance so far, pulling late duty in a 70-10 victory over UC Davis of the Big Sky last season, but that should change this season.

Starter or not: Elinneus Davis and Derek Colman-Brusa came out of spring as the starting defensive linemen, but Khan should work his way into the rotation, especially when the Huskies turn to that five-man front. His patience with the process will be rewarded.